TELEVISION PRODUCTION COMPANY, TRUE NORTH, which makes compelling, headline-grabbing and highly successful factual programmes, has been a tenant of Marshall’s Mill since 2009, and has now expanded and taken up more office space to accommodate their expansion. Here we talk to one of the directors, Glyn Middleton, to get the lowdown on the company:
Hi Glyn, can you tell us, how long has the company been going?
We set up True North as a kind of “producers’ collective” in 2001, but it quickly turned into an independent production company and our first film (a one-hour documentary for ITV1) was transmitted in 2002.
And how many of you are there now?
Three of us own and run the company – Jess Fowle, Andrew Sheldon and myself. We currently have a team of about 70 (including researchers, producers, editors, technical staff and management/financial) – the number fluctuates depending on how many programmes we have in production.
Where were you located before you moved to the neighbourhood?
We moved here in July 2009. We started in my bedroom, then moved to ITV HQ in Kirkstall Road and then found True North’s true home at the Mill.
What current TV projects are you working on at the moment?
We make an unusually wide range of TV programmes for an unusually wide range of British and international broadcasters (including all four BBC channels, ITV, Channel 4, Five, National Geographic, Discovery, Sky, UKTV and The History Channel).
We make observational documentary (like My Fake Baby for Channel 4), crime and current affairs (including Shannon Matthews – The Mother of All Lies, BBC1), history, property, food and children’s programmes. In this year alone, 500 hours of our programmes have been screened in the UK and our shows are now transmitted in more than 200 countries, from the USA, Australia and Canada to China, Japan, Africa, Asia, South America and right across Europe.
Wow, that an amazing feat! Can you tell us what it is you like about being based at Marshall’s Mill?
All our visitors love the history and character of the Mill and they’re very impressed by the community that’s grown up around it. We love the space and the light – and it’s very useful for our visitors (especially commissioning editors from London) that we’re so close to Leeds rail station.
You’ve recently expanded to take up more office space, and from what you’ve already told us, it seems the company’s doing really well?
Yes, this will be out most successful and productive year to date. We do all our editing and dubbing in-house (and we have a growing number of external clients like ITV and the BBC, who want to use our facilities) so we’re expanding into the adjacent wing, which means by the end of next week, we will have 14 top-of-the-range edit suites available. Our growth is due to the expansion of business from both terrestrial (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five) and digital (Nat Geo, Discovery, UKTV, History Channel) broadcasters, who know and trust our work.
What are your thoughts on the current marketplace in your sector? Has the launch of the BBC’s new headquarters in Salford had a positive effect?
The marketplace is tough, because of the pressure on programme budgets. But we now have a strong foothold in the industry and an excellent reputation for delivering top-class programmes on budget and on schedule, so we’re hugely confident about our future – and the future for the TV industry in this region. British Television can be London-centric, but True North and others are helping to buck that trend. We are very happy with the establishment of the BBC Media City – and have quickly cemented a strong relationship with CBBC, which is now based there.
And finally, other than your office of course, what do you like most about being in Holbeck Urban Village?
We’re big fans of the local cafes, bars, restaurants and pubs – we enjoy them, we need them and we support them whenever we can.
www.truenorth.tv